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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mug — a face
  5. stand — to bear
  6. land — a country
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. land — ground
  12. mug — to rob
  13. game — a match
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. prune — to trim
  17. hand — in cards
  18. land — to come down
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. mug — a cup
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com